#MWC E2.10

While reading through the book of Leviticus (on the way to reading through the Bible in a year), Jeff notices that there is a lot of blood. In this episode of #MidweekWorshipConnection, he’ll talk about the blood of the sacrifice and share a song he wrote called “Pass Over Me”.

Welcome back to the Midweek Worship Connection. Today I have a song for you that I wrote several years back as I was studying the Passover. I was amazed by the fact that God, in this tenth plague in Egypt, passed over his people to save them from this tenth and most terrible plague. Not only did He pass over them, but He also remained with them. He traveled with them in a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night.

It’s a little cheesy, maybe, but this song is about the whole idea that He passes over us, but He never passes us by. Of course, this becomes even more realized in the New Testament. Paul even talks about this idea that the moment we put our faith in Christ we were seated with Christ in the heavenly places! So this is a song called, “Pass Over Me“.

Pass Over Me (written by Jeff Polen)

You pass over me
And remove my sin
You prepare a place
And welcome me in

Jesus it is
Through Your death
That I can live

You pass over me
By the blood of Your sacrifice
You pass over me
But You never pass me by
No You never pass me by

The blood of the Lamb
Sanctifies my life
I was dead in my sin
Now forever alive

Jesus it is
Through Your death
That I can live

You pass over me
By the blood of Your sacrifice
You pass over me
But You never pass me by
No You never pass me by

Because of Your love and Your mercy oh God
I know that I am seated with Christ
And that moment by faith when I believed in Your death
I was raised into eternal life

You pass over me
By the blood of Your sacrifice
You pass over me
But You never pass me by
No You never pass me by

* * *

As I continue to read through the Bible again this year, most of this past week was spent in the book of Leviticus.

Leviticus is a bloody book. There is blood everywhere. Kill this, kill that, splatter its blood here, sprinkle its blood there… over and over again.

What is the deal with all of this blood? I actually think we get a glimpse into the heart of how God created us right here in the book of Leviticus.

For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life. – Leviticus 17:11

God is holy. He is righteous. He is just. On our own, we are none of those things. But we were created to be ALL of those things! So what went wrong?

Sin.

Adam and Eve disobeyed and rebelled against God in the garden. In their rebellion, they brought sin and death into the world. What was God’s response? In his compassion for Adam and Eve, he spilled the blood of an animal, the very life of the animal, so as to cover their nakedness with its skin.

And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. – Genesis 3:21

All of this blood, of course, is a foreshadowing of the blood of Christ, which would ultimately be spilled for the reconciliation of ALL mankind. Leviticus lays the groundwork for sacrifice and atoning blood, which would temporarily take away the sins of the people of God. Jesus, on the cross of crucifixion, shed his blood once and for all as the ultimate atoning sacrifice which permanently places us in right standing with God!

This is great news!

But with all of this amazing truth in play, let’s not lose the powerful symbolism here in the book of Leviticus.

As followers of Christ, we are called to be a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and more (see 1 Peter 2:9). That is a tall order, but I think the precedent for us was set in Leviticus.

Then he presented the other ram, the ram of ordination, and Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram. And he killed it, and Moses took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. – Leviticus 8:22-23, ESV

I think there are several takeaways for us here in Leviticus 8. First, notice that the priests laid their hands on the head of the sacrifice. There was a real acknowledgement of their own responsibility in the death of the sacrifice. You and I are both very much responsible for the death of Christ! He died not only FOR us, but also BECAUSE of us.

It was my sin that put Christ on the cross. (It was yours, too!) Like the priests of Leviticus, we need to take ownership of what we have done. The one being sacrificed did nothing wrong, but our wrongdoing was transferred onto the one being sacrificed. That is what was happening in the Old Testament, and that is what Christ did for us on the cross.

Second, notice what happens with the blood. Some of the blood was put on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. Why?

Perhaps this ritual was a reminder that the sacrifice has cleansed our ears. Sin distorts our ability to hear clearly from God, but with the blood of Christ on our ears, we can hear clearly once again!

Sin distorts our ability to do good for others. We hold on tightly to our own selfish desires, but with the blood of Christ on our thumbs, we no longer clutch for what we want. Instead, we say, “God use my hands to accomplish Your will!”

Sin distorts our ability to walk rightly. Like Jonah, our tendency is to run away from God’s will. The blood of Christ on our feet moves us in the right direction -where God wants to use us to advance His kingdom.

Leviticus is a bloody book. But that is good. We are an exceedingly sinful people, in desperate need of the blood of Christ on our ears, hands, and feet. Let us be thankful today for the matchless blood of Christ, which washes over our sins gives us ears to hear, and moves us out into the world to the glory of God!

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